Trappist Strong Ale
Barley Brown's Brewpub

Served on-tap @ Bailey's Taproom in Portland on 11-30-10 and reviewed from notes.

Pours a dark chestnut color with ruby flarings and a thin beige head that quickly fades. Aromas of dark fruit and malts, and, more subtly, a whiff of alcohol.

Opens with plums and raisins, dark malts and plenty of prickly spice. Belgian yeast taste surfaces before the waves of flavor roll in: ginger, brown sugar and caramel malt are the most prominent. Medium bodied and lightly hopped. Hops open up in the middle. Strong ABV is artfully concealed. Finishes dry and surprisingly bitter.

Cheers to Dylan, our client, for turning Jon, Jeff and I on to Bailey's!

On tap at KillerBeerFest, Bailey's Taproom, PDX, 10.23.2010. Not sure whether this fits into BSDA or Dubbel category, given ABV Dubbel may be a better fit.

Quarter finger tan head, quick dissipation left minimal amount of head on dark brown opaque body with garnet highlights, no visible carbonation. Nose was stone fruit forward, plums, dark cherries. Taste mirrors nose though the hops were fairly noticable, a pretty bitter finish for the style. Medium-light mouthfeel, dry finish due to use of Belgian yeast strain. Fairly drinkable, but IMHO needed more time and less aggressive hop profile. It would be interesting to cellar a bottle conditioned version of this to see how it would taste in a year or two. Certainly an 'out of the box' offering from the king of hoppy beers, Shawn Kelso.

EDIT- Enjoyed a glass at the Sled Wreck event at Belmont Station and at the pub yesterday. The yeast, prominent at the Bailey's event, has certainly subsided, leaving some nice dark stone fruit esters and a much rounder mouthfeel. Upped taste and mouthfeel scores accordingly. I have little doubt this beer is really going to age well, looking forward to trying again next holiday season.